VIDEO Large-scale response to Hurricane Sandy

People wade and paddle down a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy approaches, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Lindenhurst, N.Y. Gaining speed and power through the day, the storm knocked out electricity to more than 1 million people and figured to upend life for tens of millions more. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

ALBANY - Deep below Building 22 on the Harriman state campus in Albany is a command headquarters. There, over 100 personnel from agencies all over the state have been called to coordinate, pre-empt, and respond to Hurricane Sandy's dangerous elements, whether flooding in downstate, or high winds upstate.

This is the New York State Emergency Operation Headquarters, brought into action when Cuomo declared a state of emergency Saturday.

A low, quiet hum of activity was emanating from the assembled representatives, their posts demarcated by no more than acronyms on placards denoting their agency: FEMA, SUNY, OPWDD, DOH. As real-time maps updated in the background, they were busy coordinating with their central offices and teams arranging for supplies, relaying power outages, and directing rescues efforts--all part of the agile logistical maneuvering needed to foster a effective disaster response.

Down the hallway from the command center, media were crowded into a press room Monday to hear the most recent update from the state commissioner of Homeland Security.

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"Unfortunately the weather service got this storm right--the predicted wind and storm surge is coming true," said Commissioner Jerome Hauer. "We are seeing very high winds and very high water in the lower part of the state."

Flooding has been occurring throughout Long Island and the boroughs of New York City, especially Brooklyn and Queens, and there have been major response efforts from the state in coalition with the National Guard to provide shelter and supplies, and state headquarters has already been involved in water rescue operations. But locally, county officials, along with their peers throughout upstate, are expecting winds to be the teeth of the storm in their jurisdictions.

In Rensselaer County, the front conference room of the jail has been converted into emergency operations headquarters. The center is in communication with the state emergency management office--who are in contact with every county emergency management team throughout the state--as well as the municipalities and highway departments, who have been preparing for the storm.

"The high winds we expect to impact the area could create an extremely dangerous situation and I urge residents to limit any unnecessary travel," said County Executive Kathleen Jimino.

With gusts up to 70 miles per hour at higher elevations, winds pose the potential to bring down trees, knock out power, and hurdle debris. The most ferocious winds were expected to take place between 4 p.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Tuesday. The county is encouraging residents to stay inside and away from windows when the gusts pick up.

"The prediction at this point is that the winds could cause prolonged power outages," said Hauer. Those outages could last anywhere from a week to 10 days, depending on how quickly power companies are able to restore grids.

As of Monday evening, there were 404 power outages in Rensselaer County, with hundreds more expected. Many of those outages will have to wait until after the storm passes, as National Grid is loath to send out teams in the large trucks that are badly buffeted by heavy winds.

Currently, tree and line crews from far-flung areas have been called in to assist with the repair. National Grid is housing their standby crews at the Desmond in Colonie and at other local hotels.

"Based on potentially damaging winds I strongly recommend that residents stay off the roads and safely indoors," Jimino said. The county is looking to keep the roads clear so electrical crews remove downed trees, fix downed power lines, repair gas leaks, and respond to call for individuals in need.

A representative of the governor, Larry Schwartz, in line with safety information from local officials, is urging people across the state to keep an eye out for individuals likely to be in need during the storm.

"There are a lot of people out there that have special needs. There are the elderly; there are others with special needs," said Schwartz. "Check in on those people that might need a little help."

While not nearly so severe as the winds, minor flooding is also expected in smaller rivers and streams, such as the Poestenkill and Little Hoosick, as a result of the rainfall, but nothing like the flooding seen during Irene.

To mitigate that flooding, Cuomo ordered water levels in the Mohawk Valley to be lowered between 12 and 16 feet to create storage capacity for the storm's additional rainfall, and prevent a repeat of Irene.

According to News 10 meteorologist Andy Gregorio, there could also be flooding along the Hudson and Mohawk, which could affect Troy and Cohoes, but this would not be the result of rainfall, but rather a "water/storm surge flooding on the coast to the south across New York City which will 'backup' the flow of the Hudson."

In the county emergency room Monday, deputy county executive Chris Meyers was waiting to see if shelters would need to be opened to accommodate people whose homes had been or could be flooded.